Tears of a Swordsman
by BrokenButStillStanding
Summary: "I hope you die a horrible, horrible death!" He hadn't meant it, not really. He didn't believe in God, but he was praying to every deity he could think of to save her life right now. WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH. Not necessarily romance, but could be interpreted that way. Just because I wanted to make myself cry today.


_"_ _I hope you die a horrible, horrible death!"_

He hadn't meant it. Not really. He was just angry at the woman for blackmailing him so efficiently. Never did he want this to happen to her. The swordsman's heart seemed to be stuck between wanting to stop and pounding against his ribcage as he knelt over her.

He reached out, hesitating. He didn't want to touch her if it would hurt her further. The battle hadn't been particularly tough, but one unlucky hit had gotten through…

His hands shook as his throat constricted. She was laying there in a pool of her own blood, breathing labored and her long orange hair growing sticky with the blood that was trickling around her body. There was too much, way too much blood.

"Hold on, I'll get Chopper…you'll be fine…you'll be fine, Nami." He said, hearing his voice shake as he looked around for anyone else on their crew. They had all gotten split up during the fight, but he didn't want to leave her to go searching for the little doctor.

As he searched the horizon he felt a small hand on his wrist. Nami had reached up and taken hold of his arm to draw his attention back to her. The navigator had tears in her eyes as she opened her mouth, taking a few tries before any sound came out.

"L-listen…i-in my d-desk…the-there a-are ma-maps…t-they…they wi-will get y-you to t-the new wo-world…"

Zoro realized what she was doing with horror, he clasped her hand in his as he vehemently spoke to her. "Don't! I don't want to know! You are going to be fine, you'll live!" He shouted, but even as he said it he knew better.

"God…no…" Zoro said quietly to himself, trying to fight the traitorous tears of panic that were welling up. He didn't believe in God, but he was praying to every deity he could think of to save her life right now. His knees were growing sticky with all the blood he kneeled in, his fingers clasped her hand through the liquid.

"Nami, _no_." He pleaded to her, he didn't know how to save her from this.

"CHOPPER! LUFFY! ANYONE!" He started to yell in desperation, causing the navigator to cry more through her wheezing breaths.

Not Nami. Not…not her. She couldn't leave them, Zoro couldn't deal with it. _Luffy_ wouldn't be able to deal with it. They had been together longer than the entire rest of the crew, and while everyone would be heartbroken at the end of this day he knew his Captain would take it hardest.

She wasn't allowed to do this to them.

"Z-Zoro…" Nami began, struggling to speak again and demanding the swordsman's attention once more. "Y-you will d-do i-t. Y-you a-are go-going to b-beat M-Mihawk a-and be th-the best."

Zoro shook his head at her in denial. "You'll be there…you'll be there to see it!" He protested, but he could feel his face growing wet even as he said it.

Even as he spoke he saw her eyes glass over ever so slightly.

"I-I love y-you guys…" she said so softly he almost missed it. Zoro didn't say anything this time, he knew if he spoke the dam holding back the full extent of his sorrow would burst.

And with that her eyes glassed over completely and Zoro broke down. He prided himself on never crying. But here he was, bawling his eyes out like a baby as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Nami. NAMI!" He screamed, as if it would somehow bring her back to them. To him. He roared as though he had been stabbed, a hoarse cry that sounded something along the lines of _"God no"_.

"Zoro!" He heard from behind him. He recognized the voice of his Captain as he heard the rest of the crew approach, their footsteps faltering as they took in the scene. He didn't budge from his position, kneeling in a pool of the woman's blood, grasping her hand in both of his large ones and bending so his nose was touching hers as he squeezed his eyes shut in silent sobbing.

He barely registered the sounds of shock and despair behind him as he tried to reign himself in. He could vaguely hear Luffy's screams and Chopper and Usopp's loud sobbing. The rest of the crew was dead silent, still processing. When he could finally see through his tears he turned back and saw the full extent of his crew.

Luffy had stopped screaming and was now standing shell shocked, staring at the navigator with wide eyes as tears streamed down his face.

Chopper was wailing as he clutched Robin who had fallen to her knees and was pressing her face into the reindeers fur, although he could tell she too was crying by her shaking shoulders.

Usopp had his back turned to the scene, hand over his mouth as he loudly cried, one hand on his knee as though he was going to be sick.

Franky was crying silently as he held back a screaming and crying Sanji, who had been trying in vain to reach the navigator's body.

Finally there was Brook. The skeleton was silent, unable to cry although he could see the absolute heartbreak on his face. He was the one who slowly approached Zoro and began to gently pry his fingers from Nami's. Zoro was silent, his words catching in his throat as he stared at her.

He heard footsteps and noted his Captain now approaching her body. He was still crying but he knelt down next to Zoro and reached out to place a hand on her cheek. With a gentleness that not many knew the young man possessed, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead. He then reached up and with a shaking hand, removed his straw hat. Luffy placed it over the gaping wound on her chest, covering the cause of her death.

It looked almost like she was sleeping now. With Luffy's hat covering most of the gore, if it wasn't for the blood Zoro would have thought she was about to wake up. She still had the tiniest of smiles gracing her face.

"Lets bring her home." Luffy said gravely.

For a moment he had Zoro confused, thinking they were going back to Cocoyasi Village, but then he realized what the solemn man had been speaking of was the Thousand Sunny.

Because that had become all of their homes over the years. No matter where they hailed from, their home was wherever their nakama was.

As Nami's body was lifted from the cold ground Zoro remained where he was, shock taking over. It was only a gently hand pulling him up that moved him. Sanji helped the swordsman rise, and with a look on his face that he was sure rivaled their own they began to walk back to the ship.

To bury their nakama.


End file.
